Joe Rogan Experience #2487 - Action Bronson

TL;DR

Joe Rogan and Action Bronson riff on ancient history, Noah's Ark scans, AI, fitness, food, and celebrity culture in a wide-ranging conversation.

Key Points

• 1.Woolly mammoth teeth are common enough to be carved into decorative items. Rogan shows a mammoth tooth with a carved mammoth design, plus a pistol grip made from mammoth ivory, noting their abundance makes them legally workable.
• 2.Teotihuacan recently had a shooting that injured seven people, killing one. The attack occurred at the popular Sun Temple archaeological site outside Mexico City, with the shooter elevated on the pyramid hopping on one leg.
• 3.Mexico City's population is estimated at 20–25 million depending on how boundaries are defined. Rogan and Bronson note the city sits at roughly 10,000 feet elevation, which dramatically boosts cardiovascular performance at sea level.
• 4.Intentional sea crossings may date back 450,000 years, far earlier than Homo sapiens. Research suggests archaic humans crossed substantial sea channels long before modern humans appeared, pushing the oldest boat use well beyond the 60,000-year estimate.
• 5.A researcher hypothesizes that Neanderthals descended from Homo sapiens, not the reverse. Using genetic analysis, the theory proposes that modern humans bred with an even older species, producing Neanderthals as offspring rather than absorbing them.
• 6.Neanderthals had larger brains than modern humans and were significantly stronger. Standing around 5'7"–5'8" with much denser bones, they likely had a sophisticated society, buried their dead, used language, and could physically overpower modern humans like a chimpanzee.
• 7.New scans of a boat-shaped rock formation on Mount Ararat in Turkey reignited Noah's Ark debate. The formation sits 6,500 feet above sea level and appears to show internal structural hallways, though Rogan notes it could be a natural geological feature.
• 8.Acacia wood, specified in biblical accounts of the Ark, is also rich in DMT. Researchers from Jerusalem theorize that Moses's burning bush experience was caused by burning acacia, suggesting a psychedelic origin for his encounter with God.
• 9.Action Bronson posted an AI-generated frog image as a potential album cover and faced fan backlash. He defended it by clarifying he does all his own artwork and would never have hired an external artist regardless, so no job was displaced.
• 10.Rogan argues AI adoption is an unstoppable wave. He described it as a '2,000-foot wave moving 100 miles an hour' that cannot be halted, warning that AI could eventually be used by governments as justification to control populations.
• 11.Action Bronson lost 35 pounds, dropping from 300 lbs back to 265 lbs. He trains with IFBB pro bodybuilders, uses kettlebells, maces, and zercher squats, and has cut out pasta and carbs to dial in his diet.
• 12.Zercher squats are praised as essential for MMA fighters and wrestlers. Both agree the movement builds the thrust-based strength needed for takedowns and takedown defense, and is superior to conventional squats for grappling-specific fitness.
• 13.The UK voted on a draft law banning anyone born after 2008 from ever legally purchasing cigarettes. Rogan reacted by lighting a cigar in protest, framing it as government overreach and the tendency of expanding governments to generate new controls.
• 14.Action Bronson had dinner with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is 34 years old. Bronson noted Mamdani knows rap culture but deliberately avoided political discussion, while Rogan raised concerns about who finances the mayor and what agenda drives him.
• 15.R. Kelly's music has largely disappeared from radio while Michael Jackson's has not, despite similar allegations. Both agreed Jackson's music was so culturally dominant that nothing could displace it, whereas Kelly's legacy was effectively erased, though Bronson called Kelly's conduct 'disgraceful.'